Impact of simulation-based education on the performance assessment, knowledge retention and mentality of nursing students: A systematic reviews and meta-analysis

Background: Simulation-based education is a new type of teaching method that is suitable for clinic-related majors. This article aims to determine its impact on clinical skill assessment, performance maintenance, and mentality of nursing students. Methods: : After searching PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, and EBSCO database, we conducted a systematic collection of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the impact of simulation-based education on performance evaluation and mentality of nursing students. The retrieval time limit was from the establishment of the database to March 12, 2021. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan5.4 software, and two researchers used ROB2.0 software to evaluate the risk of bias in the included literature. The quality evaluation of the outcome indicators was performed using GRADEpro. A standardized mean difference (SMD) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) was used in estimating the pooled effects of RCTs. Results: : A total of 21 RCTs were performed, including 1683 nursing students. The results of meta-analysis showed that simulation-based education significantly improved the assessment scores of nursing students (SMD = 1.46, 95% CI = 1.02 to 1.90, P < 0.00001), self-confidence (SMD = 1.19, 95% CI = 0.48 to 1.90, P = 0.001), satisfaction (SMD = 0.86, 95% CI = 0.13 to 1.60, P = 0.02), and knowledge retention (SMD = 1.89, 95% CI = 0.76 to 2.87, P = 0.0008), and the difference was statistically significant. The results of subgroup analysis showed that long-term intervention (MD = 1.44, 95% CI = 0.62, 2.26, P = 0.0006) and short-term intervention (MD = 1.46, 95% CI = 0.95, 1.97, P < 0.00001) improved the performance assessment of nursing students, and the difference was statistically significant. Conclusions: : Simulation-based education can significantly improve the assessment scores, self-confidence, and satisfaction of the nursing students, and the scores can be effectively retained for a period of time. Limited by the quality of the number of included studies, the above conclusions need to be verified by high-quality studies.